CHALLENGING the brilliance of the IPod is considered an act of heresy and treason against all that is beautiful and clever.

CHALLENGING the brilliance of the IPod is considered an act of heresy and treason against all that is beautiful and clever.

But a recent article by Eliot Van Buskirk, author of computer music bible Burning Down the House, dared to make some criticisms of the ivory wonder.

He noted that six-plus hours of battery life is not always enough. Epic train journeys, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and knitting challenges will be music-less experiences once an IPod's batteries fade out.

Van Buskirk points out that the Dell Digital Jukebox DJ lasts for almost 20 hours.

He also notices, as anyone about to purchase an IPod also will, that they are expensive luxuries.

A widescreen television, a roaring stereo system, or a very old Ford Escort could all be bought for &#xA3;398.99.

An IPod is essentially an MP3 player which plays off an internal hard disk rather than recordable CDs. The ease with which it can be connected to a computer (PC or Mac) is indisputably wonderful, but customers with bank balances under five digits may want to explore less expensive ways of enjoying music on the move.

Dixons, for example, are selling a Packard Bell MP3 CD player for &#xA3;39.99, just more than a 10th the price of an IPod.

Not only is its battery life around three hours longer than an IPod's, its antishock device makes it arguably a better jogging companion.

One of the most significant flaws of the IPod is that the only way to record non-encoded music onto it is to buy a tiny voice memo microphone.

Musicians hoping to record sets, or customers excited by the notion of putting their LP collection onto an IPod, will regularly furrow their brows in frustration.

The imminent Samsung Napster player will allow people to make high-quality recordings, and is also expected to feature an FM radio.

Another reason to think twice before buying an IPod is that an even more glorious version of the peak of the range model will inevitably appear in the near future.

The IPod is ripe for modernisation. Its small grey-scale screen is a throwback to the early days of the Apple Macintosh, but we now live in the world of the colour GameBoy.

When looking into an IPod screen you may feel for a moment you are back in 1984 and listening to ZZ Top sing Sharp Dressed Man.

The joy of digital technology is all about synergy: it is possible to make a hairbrush which can display the room temperature while taking your photograph.

Technology exists today for the easy creation of an IPod which can do much, much more.

As competition increases, Apple will launch versions which will render the current IPods interesting relics.

Expect the IPod to one day to merge not only with the wireless but internet-connected personal organiser, GameBoy, portable television and mobile phone.

Currently, you can play Solitaire on an IPod and use it as an alarm clock, but the time has come for Apple to surprise us once again.

Already, Bluetooth technology allows mobile phone users to listen through an earpiece without the need of a connecting wire.

Burning a path for others to follow is an Apple tradition.

We can thank them for ushering in the era of the computer mouse and the laser printer.